Lisa Akbari offers advice each and every day from clients and others just like you. Here is her list of the top six questions she’s gotten over the years.
1. Can I wear a relaxer and permanent color without losing my hair?
Yes, it is very possible to wear a relaxer and a permanent hair color, without hair loss. But it is important for you to remember that you must first find a licensed chemical technician/stylist, one that is experienced with the application and maintenance of both a chemical relaxer and permanent hair color combination. Finding this individual may not be easy. Get your local yellow pages and choose ten salons that advertise this type of service, or call different salons and ask if they specialize in this kind of service. Make an appointment for a consultation. From your list of ten salons, you should at least find three that will be able to help you. But, don’t stop there, ask to see a portfolio or a list of clients who are wearing this type of chemical combination. A true professional who is interested in building a clientele won’t mind giving you this information. Be persistent. A hair tip from Lisa Akbari: Once a week take the time to do what I call “plus conditioning”. Apply my Deep Penetrating Protein Moisture & Stabilizing Conditioner on your hair with a plastic cap, sit under the dryer for 10 min on medium setting, remove cap, now look for the areas that has absorbed the conditioner and apply more conditioner to those areas, then massage throughout your hair. Sit back under the dryer for 10 more min. Use the Deep Penetrating Protein Moisture & Stabilizing Conditioner with the “plus conditioning” and your relaxed and color treated hair will be strong.
2. How do I stop my natural hair from drying out?
Natural Kinky hair is very easy to care for, just remember its greatest need is moisture. Think about how soft natural hair is when it is wet, that’s because the moisture level is at 100%. Notice how as your hair dries it seems to dry out. The answer is not to walk around with your hair wet. All you need to do is apply Moisture Plus Moisturizer each day— start at the ends, then apply to hair close to scalp and then rub throughout strands. By doing this simple treatment daily or as needed you find that your moisture level will stay up and your hair will not dry out. A tip from Lisa Akbari: Call for a hair talk session @ 901-380-4445, I would love to talk to you about my natural hair programs.
3. How often should I have my hair relaxed?
Many stylists say to relax hair at the first sign of new growth, but that is not safe. The important thing to remember is you must have enough new growth so that a licensed chemical technician/stylist has a clear visible line where the new growth ends and the chemically treated hair begins. Having a visible line to read the different between non chemically treated hair and chemically treated hair will prevent overlapping. Overlapping is when relaxer is applied past the new growth line, which causes overprocessing and ultimately hair loss. Keep in mind that the average hair strand is only growing new hair at a rate of about one-half inch every four weeks. This new hair is your new growth and is the only hair that should be relaxed. So, have your hair relaxed on an as needed basis, no sooner than ten weeks. By then you should have about one inch of new growth which creates that visible line of difference. And remember a relaxer should be used to manage kinky hair. The over use or misuse of a relaxer will cause serious hair disorders like Short Hair Syndrome so you must have a hair care professional, (licensed chemical technician/stylist), that will take care and only relax that line of new growth without overlapping.A pretreatment tip from Lisa Akbari: Lightly spray Hair Vitamin Leave-In Conditioner on the hair closest to the scalp, sit under a cool dryer for 3 minutes. Afterwards your chemical technician will see a clear line of new growth.
4. In your book, you state that we should use a shampoo with the same pH level as our hair, 4.5-5.5, no more than 6. I am finding that most shampoos do not list the pH level, but some say “pH balanced” and “normalizes pH”. What do these terms mean?
The average value on the ph scale is 0-14, and balanced or normal is 7. pH Balanced means that the shampoo is in the middle of the pH scale. The hair and scalp has a pH between 4.5 to 5.5, which is 100 times more acidic than pH 7. The danger to using a shampoo outside the range of the pH of your hair and scalp is that it will cause the hair and scalp to become dry and cause hair breakage. “Normalizes pH” may be a name that the company may have given that particular shampoo. Always check on the back of the bottle or with the manufacture in order to find the pH. My Cleansing Clarifying and Balance Shampoo has a pH of 5, which is within the range of your scalp pH.
5. What is the purpose of a hair and scalp oil, when should it be used, and how do I choose the oil for my hair that won’t give my hair the greases?
An oil should be used on your hair in order to lubricate the hair shaft—in other words to give your hair a nice natural shine—and can be used to relieve a dry scalp. All oils are not the same, some are actually “greasy” products. The best way to choose the oil that is right for your hair and scalp is by doing a simple test: Rub a small amount of oil into the skin on the back of your hand. Your skin should immediately absorb the oil and shouldn’t feel sticky or greasy. If the oil is skin friendly, it will be hair and scalp friendly. Remember, only apply a small amount of oil to your hair and /or scalp on an as needed basis, because as your hair and scalp becomes healthy there may not be a need for the use of a oil on the scalp area. In cases where you need to use oil I recommend Oil Sheen In A Jar . To apply, lightly glaze the palms of your hand or fingertips, then apply to the strands of the hair or scalp areas that look dull and dry. By doing this you will get the full benefits of using oil without having the greases.
6. What is the purpose of a hair moisturizer and when should it be used?
A hair moisturizer is designed to maintain the moisture level in your hair strand, and should if your moisture level is low. The best way to know if your moisture level is low is quite simple—inspect your hair. If your hair feels dry, hard, and brittle, then it needs moisture. Apply Moisture Plus Moisturizer, a small amount at a time, until the hair begins to soften. When it reaches that point, then your moisture level is where it needs to be.